[Illustration: LANCE-LEAVED LOOSESTRIFE]
Leaves opposite or whorled; sepals 4-6, united into a tube; petals 4-6,
or absent, attached on calyx tube; stamens few or many; ovary superior.
Lance-Leaved Loosestrife (_Lythrum lanceolatum_) grows in low grounds or
swamps from Texas to Oklahoma and South Carolina. The loosestrife family
is close kin to the evening-primrose family and has 4-6 petals borne
above the seed capsule. “Lythrum” is from the Greek meaning “gore” and
refers to the red-purple color of some of the flowers. The common name
of loosestrife comes from an old legend that they free from strife. The
plant has slender stems 2-4 ft. high and numerous flowers borne in loose
spikes. The short, narrow leaves are seldom more than 1-2 in. long. The
delicate petals are somewhat darker veined and do not last long. It
blooms in the late spring and summer.
Crape Myrtle (_Lagerstroemia indica_), native of China or India, is
widely cultivated in the state and is being planted along highways. It
has escaped cultivation in the woods in East Texas. It is a shrub or
small tree which is covered during the summer months with a profusion of
white, pink, lavender, or rose flowers.